RIVERSIDE: Man honored for helping woman being attacked

Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, left, presents Riverside resident Jose Louis Magana with the Citizen's Recognition Award on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 for putting his life on the line to save a neighbor who was being attacked.

A Riverside man was recognized Wednesday, May 4, by Riverside police for intervening in a knife attack, likely saving his neighbor’s life and suffering a stab wound in the process.

Jose Louis Magana was presented with the Citizen’s Recognition Award by Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who thanked Magana for putting his life on the line to help a woman whose ex-boyfriend attacked her.

“Magana is to be commended for his courage and willingness to risk personal injury” to help the woman, Diaz said before a crowd in Riverside City Council Chambers. “There’s no doubt that the selfless, heroic action saved her life that day.”

The woman and ex-boyfriend Jose Luis Aguirre Muñoz, 30, had recently ended their relationship before the Feb. 15 attack. She had moved to the Orangecrest neighborhood to live with her parents.

The morning of Feb. 15, she was feeding her infant son in the kitchen of her parents’ house when she saw Muñoz in the backyard, Diaz said. Before she was able to lock the door, Muñoz entered the home and brandished a knife.

The woman’s mother gathered the children and ran to a Magana’s home, yelling for help.

Magana ran to his neighbor’s house, where he saw Muñoz standing over the victim in the kitchen.

“Magana observed Muñoz hitting the woman several times and observed that he had a knife in his hand,” Diaz said.

Magana tried opening the sliding glass door, which distracted Muñoz, allowing the woman to escape out the front door. But Muñoz chased his ex-girlfriend outside and stabbed her, Diaz said.

That’s when Magana kicked Muñoz in the ribs, allowing the woman to get up and run away.

As Magana was helping her up, Diaz said, Muñoz stabbed Magana in his head, causing a cut that required five staples.

Magana and the woman were able to get to safe place to wait until police arrived. Muñoz was arrested after attempting to evade a SWAT team.

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